The present invention relates generally to an automatic steering control mechanism for a vehicle such as a dual-mode bus and particularly to an automatic steering control mechanism of this type which can be compactly stored in the vehicle with the guide arm raised near the vertical position and extending upwardly and obliquely from a support frame structure.
As is well known in the art, numerous transportation systems including a dual-mode bus system have been currently proposed for solving the transportation problems. The dual-mode bus system is such that the bus is steered and operated manually by an operator in suburban areas in which traffic is scattered and automatically by a suitable automatic control system in urban areas in which traffic is congested.
A dual-mode bus is usually provided with a steering control mechanism which is brought into engagement with the steering system of the bus during travel on the guideway in urban areas and which automatically guides the direction of travel of the bus along the guideway in response to the guide rail of the guideway. It is necessary that the steering control mechanism be stored in the bus since it is not employed during travel on ordinary roads in suburban areas. Furthermore, a conventional dual-mode bus has been provided with steering control mechanisms only at front parts of the bus. As a result, when the bus travels on a curvilinear guideway, there has been a risk that a rear part of the bus body collides with the guide rail.